In January I thought up and started working on an incredibly exciting new initiative: helping students with start-up businesses. How? By finding, investing, mentoring (from start to grow to the high road), and providing support throughout the whole process.

Victoria has fantastically innovative, intelligent, creative students – we want to help them reach their potential. We want to continue building Victoria culture that fosters student entrepreneurship. A culture that positively enhances the environment we live in at the university, city, national and even international level.

VUWSA has never done anything like this before. Its structure isn’t set up for it. In this way a lot of my work has been to make sure the project works, while still fitting within our duties and obligations to you, our students.

Turns out it’s a much bigger project than I thought. I’ve spent the last eight months crawling through the highly technical and drier-than-a-dad joke areas of company and tax law; talking to businesspeople and students to get this off the ground at the VUWSA level. Each conversation has raised new questions, and each answer has led to something new – only adding to the plan.

I’m absolutely frothing to be able to say we’re almost there.

VUWSA is seeking some final professional advice to have a check over all the work that has been done so far, then we can kick off and start to work with students. I’m proud to say one student business is already talking with VUWSA, and we are actively seeking out more.

If you have a start-up idea you would like to talk about with VUWSA, drop me an email at treasurer@vuwsa.org.nz. I’m always available and eager to talk.